Longtime Marion County School District Business Manager Donna Martin will be retiring in December.
During a special meeting Monday night, the board accepted her retirement among other business it conducted before the beginning of the school year.
“I am very proud for Ms. Donna,” Superintendent Wendy Bracey said. “We absolutely hate to see her leave. We’ve had this discussion a lot. I would like to publicly say that she has done a fantastic job. Marion County School District has been a school district that has been financially set for years with no citations and problems. I can tell you that is truly a blessing. That doesn’t happen in every school district. She is to be commended for a job well done.”
Bracey said it was going to be difficult to replace Martin and that the board needed to begin looking immediately for her replacement.
“We need to find someone who has the same hawk-eye and eagle-eye to look over our finances to make sure we are safe and sound,” she said. “But I want to say congratulations to Donna. She knows and God knows that it is the right time. We will have to decide how and when we advertise. She’s willing to help the next person when we get them in.”
Board members chimed in on Martin’s retirement before voting to accept it.
“I just want to wish you the best,” Larry Jenkins of District 5 said. “We appreciate all you have done for the district in the past.”
“We’re going to miss you,” Jessie Graham of District 3 said. “It’s an honor for us to be able to grant your retirement resignation.”
District 2’s Keith Stuckey said he had worked with Martin for nearly two decades.
“I just don’t know what to say other than in my heart I knew it would come someday,” he said. “We had talked about it. I think 40 years is an accomplishment.”
Bracey said the district would host a celebration for Martin in December nearer the retirement date.
The Board also accepted resignations from Thomas Young and Jennifer Patterson, who were hired as teachers but had not signed contracts. The Board also approved all of the coaching assignments for both East and West Marion during the meeting.
The board hired Shanna Franklin as a full-time bus driver and Susan Bedwell and Katie Sauls as substitutes. Other hires included Jamie Yawn for special education at East Marion and Cara Pierce, teacher’s assistant at West Marion Primary; Faith Robertson as computer lab teacher at West Marion High School, Elizabeth Watson as an English teacher at East Marion High School and Carl Land for math at East Marion High.
